The body responsible for disposing of livestock carcasses has said collections have risen significantly compared to last year due to the heavy snowfall across parts of Britain in March. The National Fallen Stock Company said in its latest update on fallen stock collections that figures were up by a large amount, with almost 150,000 sheep and 83,000 cattle requiring collection.

Losses between January and the end of March this year were 6 percent higher for cattle and 15 percent higher for sheep. Sheep in England and Scotland were particularly badly affected, with deaths in Scotland up by 22 percent compared to the same period in 2012. Cattle were hard hit in Wales and Northern Ireland.  

The collection body said that, as some recordings are not specific (e.g. for a collection of several newborn lambs), and figures from the hardest hit regions are still not complete, the number represent minimum. NFSCo said in a statement, "The current statistics will largely exclude losses from the most badly hit regions, as the snow will still be masking dead animals." Furthermore, farmers in several regions have been given license to bury dead animals where they fell.

Snow drifts reached heights of 5 meters in some parts of the UK. March temperatures were at their lowest point since 1962.

The NFSCo said some collectors are offering discounts on bulk collections, where several animals have fallen victim to cold conditions and snow. The company added that one collector in a hardship area is offering a 20 percent discount on collections, whilst another is negotiating fees on a case-by-case basis in light of the horrific conditions.

NFSCo chairman Michael Seal urged farmers to use collectors wherever possible to "enable the most accurate figures on losses to be collated, and in order to put their businesses in the best position to receive hardship payments in light of already announced or potential Government compensation packages."